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Judge Paul Merritt issues a permanent injunction today, blocking enforcement of the state law that would force elementary-only school districts to merge with larger districts. The Attorney General's office plans to appeal the permanent injunction to the Nebraska Supreme Court.
Technorati: School Consolidation, School Merger, Judge Paul Merritt, Don Stenberg
Dennis Byars and Ernie Chambers filed for reelection to the Legislature even though a constitutional amendment does not permit their reelection. The Secretary of State rejected their filings and ruled them ineligible. Both Byars and Chambers have indicated they will challenge the validity of the constitutional amendment.
Technorati: Term limits, Dennis Byars, Ernie Chambers
The Lincoln Journal reports that more senators are joining the fight to overturn term limits.
Technorati: Term Limits
On Saturday, November 26, Tom Osborne conducted a series of 1 hour meetings about water. Meetings were held in York, Holdrege, McCook, and Imperial. Each meeting lasted about 1 hour. Congressman Osborne mentioned his voting record and stressed, "I'm as far from being a tree hugger as you can get." He also said, "My family has been involved in irrigation since the 1950's." His father was involved in the irrigation business in Hastings and his brother still is. "I'm not interested in doing anything to hurt irrigation in Nebraska," he added.
At each of the four meetings he talked about water and the 2007 Farm Bill. Regarding the farm bill, he predicts that the new bill will have a much greater emphasis on conservation. He believes that there will be less money for traditional farm supports and more money for farmers that use minimum tillage practices that limit erosion and run off.
He talked for about 30 minutes and then took questions for about 30 minutes. I have received reports from all four meetings, and the discussion was very similar from meeting to meeting. There was an emphasis on the Congressman's support for irrigation and how he would work to help the State via programs such as CREP, EQIP, the Farm Bill, and trying to renegotiate the Agreement that was made with Kansas on the Republican River.
Congressman Osborne made several significant statements regarding the Republican River Agreement. First, the agreement called for a conservation study to be done. He reports that this study has not been done and that Nebraska should not pay any large fines or shut off any wells until the study is done.
Second, he believes the conservation study has been intentionally delayed. He did not say who was delaying the study. He also pointed out that Kansas State has issued a report that shows that most of the stream flow depletion is caused by conservation practices, such as minimum tillage and terraces -- the very things that the Farm Bill encourages.
Third, he has asked for information from the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, but the DNR has not provided the requested information.
Tom Osborne has decided that water is an issue, and he wants the people of Nebraska to know that he cares about water and wants to find solutions to the issue. He invites suggestions and ideas and believes it is important to open a dialog with Kansas and the people of the State.
Technorati: Tom Osborne, Republican River, Ogallala Aquifer,
Governorr
On November 23, 2005, Nebraska Citizen interviewed Jerry Bond. Jerry is a candidate for the 2nd Legislative District, which includes Cass and Otoe Counties in eastern Nebraska. You can see a map of the district on the profile link at the bottom of this interview.
I asked the question that all candidates get asked: “Why are you running?” Jerry responded, “There will be a major turnover in the Legislature this year, and I know that if you have someone that does not portray the views you have for your community or your district then it can cause major problems for everyone. I want to make sure that the legislation passed is in the best interest of my family, my community and my district.”
Of course, the next questions are, what are the best interests of Jerry’s family, and what he believes are his community’s interests.
“I think there are several things. Economic development. Property taxes need to be reduced, and methamphetamine is a major problem. Cass and Otoe counties rank number one and number two, and it is a major problem and going to be a major expense on the State. I want to be involved in those issues, besides being able to benefit agriculture with my experience in that area.”
Economic development, property taxes and meth, along with the funding of schools, will be the primary issues for Jerry’s campaign. He wants to be a voice of the people.
Jerry farms 400 acres in addition to operating his dairy. He and his father raise corn, beans and hay.
I asked Jerry if he had been involved in politics before. He said he has served on corporate boards and the Cass County Extension Board for 13 years. That was an elected position for many years. He was on the Dairy Council and the Nebraska Dairy Industry Development Board as the chairman. He has been involved in agriculture issues on the State level.
We switched topics and talked about Jerry’s position on life. Jerry believes that life begins at conception. He would permit abortions to protect the life of the mother and in the cases of rape and incest. Jerry does not believe that stem cell research based on fetal stem cells is appropriate. He is not willing to exchange one life for another. He supports stem cell research based on the umbilical cord.
We spoke briefly about the death penalty. Jerry supports the death penalty and believes there should be a limit on the number of appeals that can be made.
We then talked about the prisons. I noted the prisons are above capacity and asked Jerry if he would prefer to see another prison built or if he felt it was better to reduce the sentences for drug use, which is the primary reason for the increase in the prison population. Jerry said, “I think we need to look at what type of treatments we can do to help with drug treatment and to help reduce the costs. For example, I believe the cost for meth treatment is $50,000 a year for three years, for a total cost of $150,000. I think we need to look at better ways to treat individuals and to look at creative ways to help. I think we need to look at both sides. We should not let a hardened criminal out, but we should look at treatment for drugs. We need to look at the best use of our money. We need to consider if that is treatment or the construction of a facility. We need to look at all of the angles and the best dollar-for-dollar use of money. But, the safety of the community has to be priority number one.”
I asked about helping those on a fixed income pay for the ever-increasing costs of prescription drugs. Jerry feels that we are going to have to do something to help those on fixed incomes, or they will not be able to afford their drugs. As a legislator, Jerry would look at ways to help. He wants to look at all of the factors and consider the best way to do that.
Nebraska is receiving more tax revenue than it is committed to spending. Jerry would replenish the reserve and then return the rest to the taxpayer. He would also like to use some of the money to help reduce property taxes and to help create economic development opportunities. He feels that we need to return as much money to the individual taxpayers as possible.
Sales via the Internet are becoming more common. I asked if those sales should be taxed. Jerry felt that it would be very difficult to collect such taxes. He doesn’t believe we can tax the Internet and expect to get a lot of revenue for the State. We talked briefly about taxing Internet-based phone calls. Jerry does not believe that phone calls made through the Internet should be taxed.
We talked about guns. Jerry owns guns. He believes that guns should be in the open. He also believes there should be minimal limits on gun rights.
We also talked about schools. Jerry feels that it is important that schools receive a consistent amount of State aid so that their revenues streams are not fluctuating a large amount each year. We also talked about the right of a school to expel a student permanently. Jerry believes that going to school is a privilege and that riding a school bus is a privilege. “If it gets to a point where there is no respect and it is causing problems, then those privileges can be removed.”
I asked if he believes in global warming. He said “No.” I asked if his cows were causing things to heat up. He said they might cause a minute increase but that there are much bigger issues.
I asked if he would support nuclear power plants being built in Nebraska. Jerry said, “Yes.”
Water is a huge issue. I asked Jerry if he irrigates. He does not. He is a dryland farmer. However, he is familiar with the irrigation issues in the western portion of the State. I asked what he thought should happen. He believes we need to make sure that there is water for both farmers and the cities.
I mentioned that it appears that Nebraska is going to have to pay about $20 million to Kansas for Nebraska being over its allocation of water. I asked if Nebraska should take irrigated land out of production or find some other solution. Jerry said that he thought there were other solutions that could work. “There are some things that the State can do to help increase the amount of water available and work things out between States. The State has considered moving water from the Missouri to ponds and rivers, but that didn’t happen because it rained. There are things we can do to improve our natural resources. Having water also means that people can have places to recreate.”
I then asked about gay marriages. Jerry does not believe that gays should be permitted to marry in Nebraska. I asked if they should be permitted civil unions. He also opposes that.
I asked about the idea of tax breaks to encourage businesses to expand in Nebraska. Jerry believes that is a good thing to do. I asked if the State should fund venture capital funds to help create new businesses. Jerry thinks the State should. He also supports continued State support for ethanol development.
We talked about tax discounts or financial incentives to help persuade doctors and nurses to locate in rural Nebraska. He believes that is a benefit to the community and it is something he can support.
We talked about gambling. Jerry opposes casino gambling. Jerry supports continued charity gambling. He sees them as being on a different scale. He does not like the impact more intense gambling will have on communities and families.
I asked what committees Jerry wants to be on. He believes his district is about 50% urban and 50% agriculture. He wants to be on committees that deal with economic development, agriculture, and veterans’ affairs. He wants to be on the committees that will best help his district.
Jerry is a 3rd generation dairy farmer and milks three times a day. I asked how a dairy farmer could have time to serve in the Legislature. He said he would hire someone to cover the dairy while in session. Jerry has been active in 4H and boy scouts, has served as a basketball coach and in politics, and gets involved in issues that are important. He has always made time to take care of his family and made time to farm. “You take care of the issues that are important.”
Technorati: Jerry Bond, Nebraska Legislature
The Lincoln Journal and the Omaha World Herald are reporting that Senator Byars plans to challenge term limits. He and many other State senators are very unhappy that they are being forced to leave office. Senator Schrock makes mention of the term limits at almost every meeting that he speaks at. He inidicates that he will not be able act on people's requests because he will be removed from office after the 2006 session.
Even though the majority of the voters want term limits, most elected officials and most lobbyiests oppose term limits. Other notable opponents include the editorial staff of the Omaha World Herald.
Technorati: Term Limits
On November 22nd, 2005, Nebraska Citizen interviewed Adrian Smith. He is a candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, which covers 68.5 Nebraska counties. This was the last stop on a 14-day tour.
Since agriculture is such a large part of the economy of the third district, the 2007 Farm Bill will have a significant impact and the first question was about the Farm Bill. I asked what Adrian’s position was on limits on subsidies that farmers can receive.
Adrian believes that caps on subsidies are necessary and that unlimited subsidies are not good fiscal policy. When asked if the current limits are adequate, Adrian indicated that we should be mindful of loopholes within current or future Farm Bills.
Adrian believes that continued ethanol development is good and that the State should continue to provide performance-based subsidies. However, he does not feel that the federal government should mandate ethanol use. He believes that it is best when consumers make their own choices.
Just before the interview with Adrian, Tom Osborne announced that he felt Nebraska should renegotiate the Republican River Agreement with Kansas, since the agreement as written could bankrupt the Republican River Valley. I asked Adrian for ideas on what he thought Nebraska should do regarding the Republican River.
Adrian indicated that he was open to suggestions on the issue. He does not feel that we can just regulate the problem away, especially during a drought. He recognizes that the issue existed before the drought as well but feels that the issue is best addressed at the local level.
We talked about the Platte River and how Lake McConaughy is low and is projected to stay low. I asked if he felt the Federal Government should get involved and help pay farmers to not irrigate.
He felt that would be a short-term fix. “I believe many of the problems are caused by the Endangered Species Act. The Act is one of the biggest unfunded mandates, and it is bad for agriculture and the municipalities.” He feels that the water use on the Platte is best dealt with on the local level.
I asked if Adrian believes in global warming. “No!” He believes many of the “facts” about global warming are in dispute. So, I asked if he would support nuclear power development. He responded by saying that he was not afraid of nuclear power and felt that we should decide the issue on facts, not emotion.
We talked about immigration, and I asked if a fence should be built on the border with Mexico. He does not like the fence idea but, instead, feels that we should enforce the laws that we have now. He personally watched as a child persuaded a border guard to let her across the border.
When asked what he meant by stricter enforcement, he indicated that it would be difficult to send all illegals back, but that we must insist that everyone go through the process. He also thinks the process should be easier with which to comply. Someone in Scottsbluff should be permitted to go to Denver to get processed instead of Omaha.
When asked what illegals are a problem, Adrian indicated that the financial drain they put on our very generous health care system was the biggest issue.
We talked about health care costs and what he would do as a congressman to address the issue. Adrian feels that one of the best solutions is to support Association Health Plans, which would permit groups to define what they want coverage for and negotiate a group rate. Adrian recognizes that the insurance industry feels that group plans should be subject to the same regulations to which the insurance industry is subject. He believes that it is best for the federal government to stay out of this and let the people choose the plans that are best for themselves. He also supports permitting different associations joining to increase their bargaining position.
We talked about how many people feel their elected representatives do not listen. Adrian addresses this by going on speaking tours and talking to as many people as he can. His phone number has always been listed in the phone book. He enjoys getting out and talking to people and knowing their concerns.
When asked what the people on his tour were talking about he said, “Agriculture. The key issues are ag and economic growth.”
Adrian believes that tax policy is important and that reduced taxes create economic activity, which in turn increases stock market values and land and home values. He says this is a good thing.
Adrian was asked how growth could occur when access to water is being restricted and farmers are being forced to reduce what they can produce. His response was that we have to rely on the intelligence of the people of the area. Even during a drought, farmers have found ways to produce more corn with less water. He also feels that Kansas should not rush to judgment. “Nebraska could have won millions in damages from Wyoming, but Nebraska chose a long-term solution that made more sense. Most problems are best solved by local people and the best policy is for the federal government to permit local people to solve things.”
Adrian says he is not an environmentalist, but is a good steward of the environment. He does not believe the Farm Bill should be driven by environmentalists. “Environmental programs cost money, which the little guy is least able to afford. Only the large farms can afford to comply.”
When asked what the biggest challenge in the 3rd district is, Adrian responded by saying agriculture, water, and expanding markets. He feels that the mission to Cuba was a good thing and that it is unconscionable for America to use food as a negotiating tool when trying to persuade nations to do something. He thinks cutting off exports to a country is an ineffective method.
We talked about NAFTA and CAFTA. Adrian believes we should have free and fair trade. “NAFTA and CAFTA are here, so we have to live with them. The United States should focus on new technology, new crops, new genetics, and pharmaceutical crops.”
We switched to a question about when life begins. Adrian believes life begins at conception. He would permit abortion to save the life of the mother. He does not support the use of fetal stem cells, but does support stem cell research using non-fetal cells and non-embryonic stem cells.
He does not believe marijuana should be legalized or that a doctor should be able to prescribe it for pain relief.
“States should not be able to collect taxes on sales made via the Internet,” he said. He also said that Nebraska has a lot to gain from mail order sales. He specifically mentioned Cabella’s and Omaha Steaks as benefiting from Internet sales being non-taxed and feels that Nebraska is a net beneficiary of this policy.
We talked about a flat tax. Adrian is open to the idea, but wants to use caution. He wants to protect things such as the mortgage deduction, which creates an incentive for home ownership. He supports the idea of a simpler tax code to leverage growth. He wants to see accelerated depreciation on commercial property in rural areas. He would like to see it moved from 40 years to 15 years, believing this will help increase revenue through more turnover.
Adrian is a real estate agent, so I asked when he last sold a property. He said that he had closed several sales since he announced for Congress and will be cutting back due to the full time commitment of campaigning and his legislative schedule. He stated that he and his associates are constantly moving property and that he just renewed his license.
His proudest achievement as a Nebraska Legislator is the expansion of the Western Veterans Home. “I also like to think that I helped give the opponents of LB126, which is the forced closing of class 1 schools, more time.” He hopes that the people have a chance to vote down the new law.
We closed with my asking what the State Legislature should do with the excess revenue that is coming into the state now. Adrian believes this should be returned to the taxpayers. He believes that it is like a business returning money to a customer they over-charged. He believes the return should be based on property tax payments; those paying the most property taxes should get the greatest tax refund from the State.
Technorati: Adrian Smith, Nebraska, Nebraska politics
Nebraska Citizen talked with Bill Avery of Lincoln. Bill is a candidate for the Legislative District 28 seat, which is currently held by Chris Beutler, who is leaving office because of term limits. There are currently three candidates running for this seat. All are Democrats.
Bill was kind enough to return a call from Nebraska Citizen and talk about the issues. He was on his cell phone, so there were a few times that were difficult to hear, but the following is a summary of our conversation.
Bill is a professor of political science at UNL. He has been a professor there for 31 years.
Bill says that he is running because term limits are removing 240 years of combined experience from the Legislature, and that creates a huge void. Bill believes he has the experience, knowledge and values to help fill that void.
One of his campaign issues is job growth, focusing on helping small businesses grow. “This is where most of Nebraska’s job growth occurs. The state has done very little to help small businesses. The biggest problem small businesses have is attracting and retaining employees. The cost of health insurance makes it difficult. Health insurance cost control should be a part of a small business growth stimulus package.”
Another campaign issue of Bill’s is public education. Nebraska has an excellent school system, but our teachers rank 43rd nationally in what they are paid. He says this is morally wrong and we can do better. If we are going to keep good teachers and hire good teachers, we have to pay them more. He added, “Moreover, teachers should not have to pay out of their own pocket for classroom expenses, which many in Nebraska’s schools do every year.”
His third campaign issue is keeping faith with the voters on the campaign finance limitation act. “Some members of the Legislature continually try to dilute or to repeal that act.” Bill helped write the campaign finance limitation act in the early 1990s and said that he would vigorously defend it in the Legislature.
What should happen with Regent Hergert? “He violated the law. He should resign. If I had caught him cheating in one of my classes, I would have kicked him out. Most Nebraskans are hard-working people who play by the rules and expect their politicians to do the same.”
We talked about business incentives. Bill stated that LB312, which replaced LB775, is “broad legislation with many good features, but it fails to provide needed help for small businesses. I am not opposed to incentive packages, so long as they work and we have adequate disclosure of who is getting what and how much”
Bill has spent many years as a trade consultant and owns a 25% share of an international trade company that specializes in emergency medical equipment. Bill has never owned a business outright, but has specialized in international trade at UNL and traveled the world conducting trade-related research. His consulting work has taken him to dozens of countries in Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
We talked about Omaha’s desire to have one school district. Bill is inclined to support Omaha on the issue. He supports the argument that one city with one school district is best for the future of public schools in Omaha.
Bill was asked why people should vote for him instead of the other candidates. Bill feels that he has more experience with the Legislature, getting bills passed. He served last year on a bipartisan statewide task force that worked on ways to get more people to vote. The task force came up with proposals that led to legislation making voting easier, and he feels that he helped make that happen. He said he also worked on campaign finance reform in 1993 and played a large role in writing the current law.
We talked about abortion. “I have long supported a woman’s right to choose. I don’t believe the government needs to be involved in decisions that are so intensely private and personal. Government certainly does not need to intrude into medical issues involving the health of the mother. Shouldn’t a woman have the right to choose in the cases of rape and incest? On the other hand, I think we should do everything we can to discourage abortions. I don’t like abortions. You can support a woman’s right to choose without being pro-abortion.”
Regarding the death penalty, Bill says he supports the death penalty for the most egregious crimes, such as terrorism and serial killings. “Society has a right to revenge for certain offenses. But, an accused person should have every opportunity to defend themselves. I am not interested in restricting the ability of defendants to prove their innocence, so I would not support arbitrary limits on the number of appeals.”
We talked briefly about drugs, both legal and illegal. Bill does not believe we should legalize marijuana. Regarding prescription drugs, Bill feels that people with limited income should receive some type of assistance with the costs in obtaining what they need. I asked Bill if he would put a cap on the amount of money spent or would it be a higher priority to spend what was needed. Bill felt that it is more important to spend what is needed. He says he dislikes arbitrary caps.
Nebraska is currently bringing in more tax money than it has committed to spending. Bill was asked if this money should be spent on buildings or repairs or should it be returned to the people. He said, “We need to replenish the reserves first, then I would be willing to look at tax relief.”
Guns. Bill supports lawful ownership of guns, but is opposed to concealed carry. Bill has been a hunter since age 12 and owns a couple of hunting guns. Bill says he has “no interest in taking people’s hunting guns. But concealed carry is unnecessary legislation.”
State aid to schools varies by a large amount each year. Bill thinks that the State should look at finding a way for schools to receive a reliable and stable amount of revenue each year.
I asked Bill if he believed in global warming. He answered, “Yes. The scientific evidence is overwhelming. The American Academy of Science recently studied all the evidence and reported to President Bush that global warming is a fact. I am a scientist. I think when the science shows you factual evidence, you have to accept it.”
I asked if Bill would support nuclear power in Nebraska as a way of dealing with global warming and providing additional power. Bill indicated that he was of two minds about it. He said he is concerned about the safety issues but believes we need alternative and renewable energy sources. He is especially interested in “cold fusion” and believes a greater effort should be made to fund creative research in this area. He is not ready to take a stand on the subject of nuclear power.
Next, we talked about water. Bill feels that water scarcity will be a huge issue for the Legislature in the future. I asked what he thought of Nebraska paying farmers not to irrigate in order to reduce water usage, or if he felt we should find some other solution. Bill prefers to find another solution. Bill feels that we need to make sure that Nebraska is getting its fair share of available water and that other states are not taking too much. He feels that it is not just a Nebraska issue, but is a regional one, and it must be broadly addressed.
We then jumped to questions about whether gays should be permitted to marry in Nebraska. Bill says he could support some type of legal civil unions for same-sex couples. He believes that Judge Battalion ruled properly. “The judge’s argument was that a category of people cannot be singled out and then targeted for discriminatory treatment. I oppose discrimination of any kind.”
I asked if Bill would support any type of venture capital fund to start up new businesses. Bill indicated that he would look at competing priorities first.
I asked if Bill would provide any type of support or incentives to encourage doctors and nurses to locate in rural Nebraska. That is something that would interest him. Bill indicated that he has ”long been concerned about the ‘brain drain’ and would seek ways to keep Nebraska’s best and brightest in the state. The military helps people get medical degrees in exchange for a commitment to serve in uniform for a specific period of time.” Bill believes Nebraska could consider such programs for rural areas.
We talked about jails and how the jails are housing more inmates than what they were designed to house. I asked if Bill would support the construction of another jail. Bill said, “If the need could be established, I would be willing to consider new facilities.” He is not willing to say yes, at least not yet. I said one way to reduce the need is to reduce some sentences for certain drug offenses. Bill agreed that might work. Bill then talked about how it was more important to keep sex offenders in jail rather than light drug users.
I asked Bill if he felt that the names and amounts of those receiving public assistance should be public. I specifically asked if the amount a farmer or a welfare recipient receives should be public information. Bill felt that it is a matter of degree. “The names of those who receive millions in federal subsidies should be public, but a mother who receives a few hundred dollars a month to help support her family should expect and receive some privacy.” I asked where we draw the line. He felt that in cases involving large amounts of tax dollars, the voters have a right to know who receives the money.
I asked if Nebraska should permit casino gambling. Bill said he had not fully decided, but that he was leaning toward ‘yes’ on the issue. “I am concerned that a lot of Nebraska dollars are going to Iowa and other states. Nebraska already has gambling. I support the idea of interdiction zones where Nebraska permits gambling right across the border from neighboring casinos so that Nebraska can capture the gambling dollars before they leave the State.”
That concluded our conversation about the issues. You may learn more about Bill Avery and his campaign at www.averyforlegislature.com
Technorati: Bill Avery, Nebraska Legislature
The Groundwater Foundation calls on Governor Heineman and the other gubernatorial candidates to get involved in the water issue and take a leadership role. The governor appointed Water Policy Task Force estimates that the State will need more than $300 million dollars to resolve water issues. This is more than the Low Level Radioactive Waste fiasco. The Task Force is recommending that the State raise property taxes and use the money to pay farmers to not irrigate. The primary problem with this recommendation is that it would result in insufficient water savings to actually solve the problem. In an earlier post Nebraska Citizen pointed out that we believe water will become one of the primary campaign issues in this election. Water is the headline story this week and is likely to remain a major topic of discussion. Should the State pay farmers to not irrigate or are there other solutions that make more sense? How candidates answer this is likely to determine who gets elected.
Tom Osborne has suggested as a possible solution that Nebraska renegotiate the agreement with Kansas.Links to stories about water in the Omaha World Herald, Lincoln Journal, Imperial Republican, and Nebraska Citizen can be found at WaterClaim
Technorati: Dave Heineman, Groundwater Foundation, Tom Osborne.
Don Stenberg has recently been accused by Ed Schrock, Chair of the Nebraska Legislature Natural Resource Committee of being partially responsible for the problems on the Republican River. Don responds to these comments by releasing this statement.
Republican River Settlement Statement
Nebraska Citizen Link: Senate Candidate Profiles
Technorati: Don Stenberg, Republican River
The New Nebraska Network blog has some comments on the Pete Ricketts campaign starting its advertising.
When Don Stenberg's campaign was asked what the focus of his campaign would be this was his answer.
1- Energy Prices are too high. Don will work to develop our domestic energy resources, build new oil refineries, and promote alternative energy sources like ethanol and bio-diesel.
2. Judges should be law enforcers, not law makers. Don will work to confirm judges who will not attack our basic American values or impose liberal social policies on our families.
3. Terrorists must be defeated at home and abroad. Don supports a strong national defense and homeland security, and will work to strengthen our borders.
4. Agricultural policies need to assist our family farmers to compete globally. Agriculture will be a top priority for Don in the US Senate.
5. Strong, Traditional Families are the foundation of culture. Don was born in David City and raised in Tekamah and graduated from UNL. His wife, Sue, grew up on a farm in Dodge County. After earning his Business and Law Degrees from Harvard, Don and Sue returned to Nebraska to live and raise their family of four children, now ranging in age from 25 to 16. Don and Sue have been married for 34 years. Sue says of Don, “Everything Don stands for, he lives out in daily life. He has a wonderful sense of humor and keeps his priorities straight – Faith, Family, Friends.”
6. Cut wasteful Spending. Don believes that some Republicans in Washington have lost their way on spending. These Republicans need to be reminded why they were sent to Washington in the first place.
Technorati: Don Stenberg
Sen. Ben Nelson, a moderate Democrat seeking re-election in the overwhelmingly Republican state of Nebraska and a leading GOP target next year, is shown by a Republican poll to enjoy a very high approval rating.
The survey taken by the Braynard Group shows 71 percent job approval for Nelson, compared with 59 percent for his Republican colleague, Sen. Chuck Hagel. President Bush's rating is 64 percent, one of his highest in the country. Nelson previously had been considered one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents.
Nelson had $2.6 million in campaign cash on hand at the end of September. That's eight times as much as his Republican challenger, Ameritrade heir Pete Ricketts, and probably enough to buy most of the state's air time for the full '06 campaign.
Technorati: Ben Nelson
Nebraska Citizen Interview with Tom Osborne
On November 14, 2005, Nebraska Citizen was honored with a telephone interview with Tom Osborne. The following are Nebraska Citizen’s questions (in blue) and a paraphrase of Tom Osborne's comments after each one.
Sometimes it is difficult to see the forest from the trees. A
successful team is the result of people buying into a common set of goals.
There was good chemistry. Nebraska is a sparse state without mountains or
beaches, so we focused on a good work ethic, worked hard at recruiting, and we
worked hard at academics. Parents trusted us to provide a good environment for
their sons. We built a culture that was player friendly. I work well across party
lines. I’m not terribly partisan, more conservative than liberal.
I believe in smaller government while still taking care of those that can’t
care for themselves. Personal responsibility is important. I
support gun ownership, am pro life, favor less taxation, and efficiency in
government. In Washington, I have worked well across party lines. The sitting governor was appointed as Governor and not elected.
He was also appointed as Lieutenant Governor. He was not elected to either
position. I talked about running before Gov. Johanns was appointed as
Secretary of Agriculture. In Washington, the agenda is set by the President and
the leaders of Congress. I felt that I was being more reactive than proactive
as a congressman. A governor is more like a coach. He can initiate an agenda
that impacts the whole state. I care deeply about Nebraska. It is heavily taxed. Nebraska is
one of the most heavily taxed states in the nation. Businesses and older people
are leaving the State because of the high tax burden. I want to help make
Nebraska a state that is at the top of the list for places to start a business,
for older people to retire, and for young people to establish a career and a
family. I attempted to do what I could as a Congressman via CREP,
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. This takes 100,000 irrigated acres
out of irrigation production through 10 to 15 year contracts, 50,000 acres out
of the Republican River Basin and 50,000 acres out of the Platte. About 37,000
acres have signed up in the Republican and about 10,000 acres in the Platte
above Lake McConaughy. CREP leaves more water in the river. This, to some
degree, mitigates the demands of the Kansas Lawsuit. Normal rainfall would be very helpful, but we are in a drought. It appears that the contract we entered into with Kansas does not
adequately address the scenario we are now in. Most of the wells in the
Republican River Basin have been metered. The reservoirs have declined
substantially, with some not able to provide irrigation water. It depends on what the contract says. The irrigators of that
area [Republican River Basin] did not create the Compact, so I am assuming it is a
State obligation. The irrigators in the Republican Basin have taken a big
enough hit already. Well, there's only so much water in the Republican Basin. If we
continue to have low snow packs and continue to have less rain, we obviously
have a real problem. I doubt that I can secure another 100,000 acres in CREP.
We probably have asked all that we can from the Federal government in the
current $125 million ($125 an acre for 100,000 acres for 10 years). What we may
be able to do is transfer some of those acres from the Platte Valley to the
Republican. We allocated 50,000 acres to the Republican and 50,000 to the
Platte, most of the 40,000 acres below McConaughy have not been subscribed.
We may transfer acres from the lower Platte to the Republican. Also there
is EQIP. I believe 7,000 to 10,000 acres have been taken out of production
using EQIP, a federal program which allows dry land farming; however, you can’t
irrigate those acres. These retired acres are close to the river, so they
have maximum benefit to the river. We may want to look at the
contract not adequately allowing for drought. We may want to look at
renegotiating. I don't know a lot about the contract. It was drawn
up several years ago. I see it more as a supplemental activity. One must have a farm
to give farm tours. Not all farmers will be interested in doing this.
One option is to open CREP acres to hunting. CREP hurts the
economy because farmers are not buying seed and supplies. By opening these
acres to hunting, we will get more people in motels, grocery stores, gas
stations, and rural communities. Agriculture is a $10 to 11 billion dollar boost to the Nebraska
economy. Ethanol is good for the economy. The Federal government is
requiring a doubling of the amount of ethanol use. I want to see more
farmer-owned ethanol plants. There is value added at each step of the process,
and it is good that farmers are involved in this. Nebraska has stopped providing
some subsidies while other states continue to help establish plants through
incentives. I think it is important that Nebraska continue to keep pace with
ethanol development. I have talked to all of the superintendents about this. The best
solution is for the schools to work this out and then come to the Legislature
with a proposed solution on which they can act. The process should not be politicized. We need to avoid going to
court because of the costs, if at all possible. Some of the superintendents
have looked at what other states have done, and that is a good thing. The Legislature will decide. In 2003, there was a shortfall, so
we raised taxes. Sales taxes were increased and expanded. The Legislature
increased death taxes, income, and property taxes resulting in $240,000,000 more
coming in. There was a promise that this was temporary. In 2004, $300,000,000
additional dollars came in. We shouldn't be surprised; we raised taxes, so more
money should come in. The economy grew at 1% in 2004 but the state budget calls for a
7.1% increase in spending, on average, for 2005 and 2006. This trend is not
sustainable. We already have a lot of gambling in Nebraska. Casino gambling
hurts the taxpayer more than it helps. Social costs go up. Addictions
triple. There are more kids in foster care. About 30% of the money ends up
going to Las Vegas. In Iowa, they still needed to raise taxes as gambling
didn't bring in as much money as predicted. Gambling does not produce goods or
services, it drains resources. It is
important that the Task Force be representative of the total population. I
had not really thought about it, but I would look at its composition.
Technorati: Tom Osborne, Republican River, Gambling
As you can see in the about me page, I am involved in water. I am convinced that water will be one of the major issues in Nebraska political races. This will be especially true for any race west of York. And while water may not be an issue that people vote on in Lincoln and Omaha it will be an issue that will directly affect their pocket books. Tom Osborne was kind enough to give me a 30 minute interview. (To be posted shortly). You can see in that interview that I asked a number of questions about water. The reason is this.
In 1943 Nebraska made an agreement with Kansas and Colorado on how to divide the Republican River. This is the river that enters in the southwest corner of the State and exits in south central Nebraska. In 1998 Kansas sued Nebraska saying Nebraska was using too much water. The US Supreme Court ruled that groundwater must be considered when decided how much water each state gets. In 2003, Nebraska made an out of court settlement that decided the formulas on how groundwater would be factored in. The first deadline for compliance is Dec 2007. It has become apparent that Nebraska is going to fail to meet its obligation by the end of 2007 and hence is going to owe some serious damages to Kansas. There is also the real possibility that most of the 13,000 irrigation wells in the area could be forced to shut down. This would devastate the economy of Grant, Imperial, McCook, Curtis, Cambridge, Alma, Holdrege, Rising City, and Superior. The State would have to pay the bill which in my opinion will be $20,000,000 for the first year and somewhere around $10,000,000 a year thereafter.
This is an avoidable problem but it will require Nebraska politicians to act quickly.
You can see that this is not just my opinion but is now a fear shared by many of the people involved. You can read the newspaper headlines by visiting www.waterclaim.org and clicking on the links from there.
Any candidate for Governor, Senate, 3rd District, Legislature, or NRD will have to deal with this issue. That is why I am asking them questions on the subject of water.
There are many other issues as well as water but the amount of time allowed limits the number of questions. For the high profile races, we will return with additional questions.
Technorati: Republican River, Water
John Hanson adds Jim Banks, Brianne Aldinger, and Robert Aho to his campaign.
John Hanson, Third District Republican Congressional candidate, has announced important additions to his campaign team. Hanson has hired Jim Banks of Colorado Springs to serve as his General Consultant. Banks has worked for several campaigns including Congressman John Hostettler’s races in Indiana. Banks recently left his job as a National Field Representative for Focus on the Family’s Public Policy Department to focus his time on Hanson’s race and other campaigns throughout the country.
“I am honored to work for a candidate like John Hanson who believes like I do that values matter,” Banks said. “John will be a Congressman who will work tirelessly on the most important issues of our day and it is a privilege to help get him elected.”
Hanson is also pleased to announce the addition of Brianne Aldinger to the effort as the campaign’s Political Director. Aldinger was born and raised in Wilcox, Nebraska, and is the daughter of Arlynn and Emily Aldinger. Her family has been lifetime residents of the district. Aldinger is now the fifth generation to live on the family farm and continue the legacy of farming in Phelps and Harlan counties.
The Hanson for Congress campaign also has retained Robert Aho of BrabenderCox, a DC-based GOP media firm that handles several high-profile Congressional and Senate campaigns including US Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK), Rick Santorum (R-PA), and David Vitter (R-LA), as well as Congressmen Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Tim Murphy (R-PA). BrabenderCox was recognized earlier this year for outstanding television, web and direct mail work in the 2004 political cycle with 17 ‘Pollie’ awards for creative excellence. Aho will serve as Hanson’s media consultant providing television, radio, direct mail and strategic services.
“I am pleased with the addition of these members of my team,” said John Hanson. “I intend to run an aggressive, issues oriented, grassroots minded, positive campaign and will spend the next six months reaching out to as many of the voters in the district as possible. This highly professional team will help me do that effectively.”
Don worked as a social worker and as a professor at UNO for 28 years. He has also worked with the Catholic charities and as a priest. In addition, Don owns some farm land in Cedar County, where corn and soybeans are raised. He leases the ground out but stays involved with the farm.
Don is running because many of his former students felt that he would be good at the job. There are 20 open seats, and there will be a need for someone with experience. Don is fully retired and will be able to spend full time working on the campaign.
Don’s priorities will be education, mental health, child welfare and economic development.
He feels that things like LB 775 are good, if they work. There is a question about if the benefits trickle down. Don believes we need things such as LB 775.
It is his opinion that the move to community health centers instead of such institutions as Hastings increases Federal tax dollars to the state. This is one way to increase services without increasing taxes. Don believes we can improve the social services by better monitoring and restructuring the system. He has looked at other states and studied how they have made things work. Don likes the Minnesota system.
Don would like to sit on the Health and Human Services and the Education committees, if elected.
Regarding education, Don feels that the university needs a massive influx of dollars for buildings.
Don’s district is 55% Republican, 28% Democrat and 17% Independent. It is populated with mostly professional occupations. Don is a Democrat, but says he plans to work very hard, talking to all of those who vote.
He realizes this isn’t likely to happen. He also opposes allowing execution by lethal injection.
Don is not opposed to gambling. He believes it is a personal choice. He feels there are many things that can be very harmful, including gambling, but that that is true for many things. He cited alcohol as an example: When the nation tried to ban it, we ended up with a poor result. Many people can manage their entertainment, he says, and gambling is just one more form of entertainment. He further pointed out that driving is the most dangerous thing we can do, but we don’t ban it.
We talked about the proposed sex offender rule, where a sex offender is prohibited from living within 2000 feet of a school. Don feels that this is a simplistic rule that is lazy. However, he would probably vote for it in order to send a message; yet, he feels that a better solution should be found.
Don doesn’t believe there are many absolutes in life. He is willing to look at all issues and consider them with an open mind.
He hopes to finance his campaign with $100 contributions from friends. He believes that he can do that and is ready to send out his first letter.
I got my new phone today. It is a Vonage phone that allows me to pay a flat fee per month and then make unlimited calls anywhere in the nation. I plugged it in and expected that I would have to make some modifications to my network to get it to work. I didn't. It worked almost immediately. Take unit out of box, plug network cable in one jack, plug cordless phone base in other jack. Restart unit. I have a live phone that works without using the phone line. I call 15 candidates and 2 called back. It works. No one noticed that I was on a voice over internet phone. I noticed a couple of small skips and dropped syllables. I would say it is about 95% of the quality of the regular phone line. So for $25 month I get unlimited national calls, voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding, a near instant log of all incoming and outgoing calls, etc. I now need to do some more tests before I recommend it to my customers but so far I am impressed.
I remember a few years ago when someone tried to do this in Lincoln. The Public Service Commission issued a cease and desist order. The person appealed to the legislature. The legislature held a hearing and after this individual testified, I watched as several senators ripped the poor guy to shreds. Several senators were downright rude about it. Now VOIP is protected by the FCC. I think it will change the way a lot of people communicate. As a side note, AT&T, former owner of all long distance, has pulled out of providing residential service across most of the nation. One of the questions I will ask candidates is what they think about how communications policy should work.
How do we protect people that cannot get or afford broadband?
How do we protect the little old lady that doesn’t want broadband but because of VOIP, the traditional phone company loses many of its customers and hence goes broke and now grandma has nothing?
How do we encourage innovative technology that creates a more efficient communications system while at the same time protects traditional access?
Ryne McClarin links to a a couple of stories about Tom Osborne voting to regulate blogs that talk about politics. That is a direct threat to sites such as this. Ryne says he will ask Congressman Osborne for an explanation. It will be interesting to see why Tom Osborne says he believes the FCC should regulate this site and others like it.
Osborne 50%
Heineman 38%
Nabity 12%
Southwest Nebraska straw poll results. 248 surveyed.
October 30 through November 4, 2005 results.
In another life, I operate an ISP. On that site we run a weekly poll question. Some of the questions are fun and some are somewhat serious. Each week a new question. We have asked 335 questions over the last 7 years. It gives a taste of how the people of southwest Nebraska think. The poll is not scientific as it is possible for people to vote multiple times and it does not poll those that don't have internet access or that are not interested in what we ask. I usually eliminate those that vote multiple times on poll questions that I care about. Every once in a while someone will vote 50 times because the issue is important to them. About 95% of the people that vote come from the local area and even though it is not scientific I believe it gives a fairly accurate snapshot of how the people of Chase and Perkins counties think. Any of you that want to vote on the questions are free to do so. It is easy for me to exclude non-local people if we ask something that we want only local opinions on. You can look at past questions at Poll Questions.
In this particular poll, one of the Governor candidate’s offices voted 11 times for their candidate. So I removed their votes. It is interesting that they found one of my other web sites. The results you see here are Chase 3000 customer votes only.
I took a break this last week and went in search of snow. I had been sitting in front of the computer too long and needed to see something different. I had to go over 10,000 feet to find it but found a foot of snow there in the shade of some trees. Now if I could just find a way of moving some of that moisture back to where I live I could make a lot of people happy.
Now that I am back I will start working on collecting more information on candidates. While most are cooperative, there are a few that don't seem to want to provide even their biographical information. Makes you wonder how responsive they will be once they get elected.
Personally, I am convinced that the internet will change politics rather dramatically. According to the Pew Research about 65% of Nebraskans have internet access. About 69% of the rural homes have internet access. Pew Research also talks about how people use the internet.
I think most people that have internet access now use the internet as a research tool before making a major purchase or significant decision. In this case, I think people will look to the internet to find how candidates believe before deciding on who they will vote for. Sites such as this make it easy for people to quickly compare the candidates and see who best matches what they want.
Candidates that capitalize on the power of the internet will have an advantage over those that do not. One thing that I have noticed as I put this site together is that Democratic party seems to realize this better than the Republican party. That isn't endorsing one party over the other. I am just saying that, as I look at all of the material that is out there, that is how it appears to me.